I'm at a crossroads. I have a decent teaching job right now. In 5 years I'll have 20 years in the school system. I just turned 42. I have the opportunity to be an RN in 3 years. I'm already in the RN program having completed all my pre-req's . The classes are night and weekend for us working folks.
Here are the negatives I'm looking at:
1. I'm just about burned out on education. I'm tired of scraping to survive and it doesn't look any better for teachers anytime (15 years in the system and I still don't make 40k)
2. I'm old! I don't know if I can handle a career change this late in life.
3. I'm a technology guy- I teach CAD. I don't have a background in healthcare.
4. Teachers in my area are being let go due to a shortage of young people. Lots of us old farts around here though.
Now my question is this- Is it going to pay off?
Is three years of classwork, losing my weekends (24 hours of classes ever other weekend), classes after work until 10 on Mondays and not to mention all the work/studying going to be worth it in the end?
I haven't had any problems with the classes (had a 4.0 till Pharm) but I just don't know if there is a place for a 45 year old NEW RN with my skillset (I've been a DJ, a surveyor, and a drafter). I only took the classes to support my wife who was a phlebotomist for years but wanted to be a nurse. Now she is dropping out due to neck problems and here I am with the opportunity to keep going.
Are there any older guys out there who are new nurses who can share their experiences?
Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
I'm 44yo and just got my ADN in May and passed my boards as an RN in June.
I figure I've got AT LEAST another 20 years to be working, if not longer. It's not an easy job, but nursing will always be around. If you care about people and have a head for science-type stuff, healthcare is always an option.
Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
Wow, I'm overwhelmed at the constructive advice offered, thank you all.
I am 99% sure that I am going to drop my classes tomorrow. My biggest problem is I feel like a quitter and I haven't ever quit anything.
As several have gathered, I'm not the most empathetic person. I'll take care of my kids,wife or whoever is in need to the bitter end, but I'm your typical guy, lacking the "motherly" qualities that I would probably need to be an effective nurse.
I'm not so much burned out on education- I love teaching, but spending 6 hours a day (vocational teachers teach longer hours than high school teachers usually) with high school students for the past 15 years has about burned through my optimism concerning much of our current youth, not to mention no raises for 6 years and none in sight.
I would still like a career change, I just don't think there is a place in nursing for me. I'm a hard worker, and in good physical health, I just don't think I have the "heart" of a nurse and that would probably make all the difference. Thanks again to all!
Have you thought about just moving to another area?
There are hundreds of posters here who tell you "go for it", "you CAN do it", "what do you have to lose? You'll still age but not be a nurse!" or "I'm a 103 and got a job as a new grad and plan to move UP!".
Reality is you would be competing will those decades younger nurses who graduate at the same time. Lately, the young ones are getting hired because they are young, haven't worked full time and are still naïve.
You have to make it through nursing school, dealing with immature cliquish classmates, at times psychotic instructors (remember that old chestnut "those who can do, those who can't teach" fits many nursing instructors, backbreaking clinicals in often the worst units in the area.
I'd take my teaching pension and sub or like the above poster said move to another area of education?
For every great patient or family you have, there are dozens more who make your life a living hell.
Oh, and for those that say there are great jobs, you just have to look for them. Well, new grads don't have the experience that they require, so you could be slogging it out for a decade to land one. In my health authority, the "great jobs" with normal hours go by seniority or the need to accommodate injured nurses who can't manage on the floor but can manage a desk job or telehealth job.
Look at hospitals in your area. Go look. Do the staff look exhausted at the end of a shift? How many vacancies do they have? Is it always the same units with openings (usually the sign of horrific workloads or working for nursings equivalent of Genghis Khan)
Wow, I'm overwhelmed at the constructive advice offered, thank you all.
I am 99% sure that I am going to drop my classes tomorrow. My biggest problem is I feel like a quitter and I haven't ever quit anything.
As several have gathered, I'm not the most empathetic person. I'll take care of my kids,wife or whoever is in need to the bitter end, but I'm your typical guy, lacking the "motherly" qualities that I would probably need to be an effective nurse.
I'm not so much burned out on education- I love teaching, but spending 6 hours a day (vocational teachers teach longer hours than high school teachers usually) with high school students for the past 15 years has about burned through my optimism concerning much of our current youth, not to mention no raises for 6 years and none in sight.
I would still like a career change, I just don't think there is a place in nursing for me. I'm a hard worker, and in good physical health, I just don't think I have the "heart" of a nurse and that would probably make all the difference. Thanks again to all!
I love self aware people. I also like it when they accept their strengths AND weaknesses without apology. We are who we are.
I have no other advice to give. Excellent advice in each post.
Just one thing. You're not old, and I don't think you really believe that.
Good luck to you. Don't make your first post your last.
Hellz yah!! New grad RNs around the Indianapolis area are making about 50k-65k/yr right out of school! Imagine, 3 days a week, 4 days off... yah... nursing has it real sweet.
I'm an LPN (soon to be RN next May/June) and I've made $40k/year or more since graduation. This is the best job I've ever had. Everyone should love their jobs and professions as much as I do. Nursing is great. The job can be stressful, but I think teachers find the transition fairly easy from those that I've encountered.
OP, I admire you for taking an honest look at yourself and what you're about to get into. It takes a lot of grit to decide you're not going to do something--and for those of us who aren't used to backing down, it takes a lot to realize that there is no good reason to do it just because we can.
In an effort to cheer you up, you say your optimism has been tapped by years of teaching high school and that your outlook for the current generation is bleak (no doubt from overexposure to teenagers).
Hellz yah!!
At least you won't be sitting in class with 50 of your former students, listening to quips like the one above!
I've been an RN for 7 years, graduated in my mid 30s after 8 years in IT. I've done all kinds of nursing jobs in 7 years and now I'm in case management and make about 80K/yr but in SoCal that's solidly middle class.
My husband has 13 years with a huge, ultra bureaucratic school district, teaching high school English. I can tell you without hesitation that I am FAR more burned out than him. I mean, he's burned out too, but I'm CRISPY AROUND THE EDGES. My feet and back are shot, I got exposed to TB somewhere along the way, I have to spend lots of $ every year to do CEUs/renew license/renew BLS/buy malpractice insurance and I've never had union protection. The list goes on.
Meanwhile Mr. Schoolteacher has seniority, union, pension & pays almost nothing for his amazing benefits. He also gets summers off, planning days off, a week for Thanksgiving and all Jewish holidays off. He makes about 55K/yr. - again we are in SoCal. The district just paid for a $4000 course for him to get a Special Ed credential that will pretty much guarantee he's protected from layoffs, and will result in a hefty raise. And over here in my corner, I was just informed our yearly bonus is going to be zero & we can no longer work any overtime because of our "low patient satisfaction scores" and the budget squeeze that new Medicare regs/compliance are putting on us. Also management is asking ADNs to go back and get their BSN (at their own expense) or risk losing their jobs. Yay.
STAY PUT. Get some more credentials and get out of the classroom, but stay away from nursing. I'd tell this to a 22 year old or a 62 year old. Age is not the concern here.
While you are certainly not too old for the change you are contemplating, I'd urge you to seriously consider the following before making a commitment to nursing:
1) there is a surplus of RN's in nearly every part of the US, making it very difficult for new nurses to find employment;
2) nurses continue to postpone retirement (mostly out of economic necessity) and nursing school enrollment continues to increase - this in turn further increases the labor surplus and worsens an already poor employment situation;
3) the two trends mentioned above are unlikely to change significantly in the near-to-medium term;
4) the labor surplus is putting downward pressure on nursing wages and benefits;
5) age discrimination is widespread in health care hiring (though of course it is subtle and covert).
If, after taking into account the above, you still decide that you'd like to pursue nursing, you should know that it is an attainable goal. As proof, I offer my own experience. There were several of us that were your age or older in my 2010 graduating nursing class. All of us completed a fairly grueling accelerated evening/weekend program, even though we all held full-time jobs during the process (in my case, 55+ hours per week and business travel). All of us passed the NCLEX our first time through. Unfortunately, not all of us found jobs as nurses.
Obviously, your experience will be different. Just be aware that the deck is not stacked in your favor. Best of luck to you.
Just wanted to say best wishes to you in whatever direction you decide to take your career. Some communities offer career services programs with counselors available to bounce ideas off. Volunteering, shadowing, and informational interviews are helpful in exploring other opportunities. You've invested time in your current career. Maybe mentoring a student or being an advisor of a club will be enough of a change.
I started the LPN program in Aug of 2004. I was 45. My hubby was not happy about me wanting to go to college. He thought it was too much for me to handle. I had signed up and promised I wouldn't go if he said no... I missed the 1st week of school because he couldn't make up his mind, Monday morning I told him that he better tell me if I could go or not and he wouldn't say anything so I took that as a yes and went to college.... I went to my 1st class and it was Nursing 1 the instructor took attendance and afterwards she asked me to pick up my books and step out into the hall she said that I couldn't start a week late that they have already taken a test and I missed the lecture. So I didn't say a word and went to the councilors' office and asked if there ANY of the programs in this college that the student guide didn't applied to. He said no, so I turned right around and went back to the class. Sat down asked if I could have the power point. And she handed it to me. After the lecture she said I would need to take the test tomorrow. I said fine. I took the 1st test and the second test on the same day... I failed the first test because they take 10% off for taking it late. I got an 80% (a C) on the second one. So I just plugged away... continued on.
At Midterm my instructor pulled me aside and told me I was at a high D... I asked her if she was kicking me out. She said no because I had perfect attendance. I told her that it's not over until the fat lady sings and this fat lady hasn't sung yet!!! I paid for this and I was going to go to the end even if I failed it... I would just take it over if I had to. I passed with a B!!! I only had one wrong on the final!
The second semester I took 3 classes online A&P II, Psycho social & med terminology that helped with the sleep issue. I could do them on my own time.
Our school has open enrollment and I took 18- 21 credits a semester I graduated with a 3.5 GPA in three semesters.
I continued taking my Co required pre- req. classes so that my work load would be lighter later in the RN program. I worked 5 nights a week as the Charge nurse on the night shift, and 3 day shifts. I was accepted into the part time program. So my RN program was 3 semesters long. I only had the core classes left.... Thank God. Those classes were the hardest classes I have ever had.
Organization was one of the keys to my success I bought a large day planner. Everything about school and personal life was in it. I knew when my tests were and when projects were due. If future papers were on the agenda I kept a list of ideas or things I would like to research. I always kept in mind what my future practice would entail. (Geriatrics) It was the hardest thing I have ever done. I had many struggles though it
I worked for local nursing home full time. I work 10 shifts per 2 week period. And usually work 1 to 2 - 12 hour shifts if someone called in. I graduated with a 3.12 I didn't get any time off. With school and work it was 12 days straight until my weekend off. I told the "kids" the other students that this is just a short Blip in my life and I will get through it. I graduated in May of 2007.
Took the NCLEX the same day my 1st granddaughter was born...(I knew my daughter was in labor but she and my husband did not want me to postpone it) well I took the test and made it back to my daughters side to have my hand in on the delivery. (Another story some day.) I found I had passed the NCLEX the next day.
I worked in Geriatrics for 4 ½ years. This January I started at the Local hospital in the In Patient mental Heath Unit. I have enjoyed this immensely. They have asked me to apply for the Clinical Nurse Supervisor but I have decided that I no longer want that responsibility.
That's my story.... Yes keep going don't stop... it is so easy to let life get in the way. And you know what... what other people think is unimportant. The rewards are great. I finally have job satisfaction!!
For most (but not all) people ... I think they are better off building on the expertise and experience they already have rather than start over at the bottom of a totally new field. It would probably be easier for you to carve out an advnaced/specialized career related to education than to start at the bottom of the nursing field. Switching to nursing would mean that you are "jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire." Nursing has a major "burn out" problem and we see TONS of people like you who think the profession is going to be the answer to their life problems -- and who leave nursing after only a year a two because they were not prepared for the realities of it.
Advancing/specializing in something you already have the foundation for would open up career possibilities that would give you a better salary and probably take care of the "burn out" problem. You would be an experienced expert in your chosen specialty and not at the bottom of the ladder -- having to wait another few years (and may get even more education) to move up that ladder. Why not invest your "free" time into taking some classes that will elevate you into a higher (more lucrative) branch of education -- instead of investing it into taking classes that will put you at the bottom of a career field you know little about?
Don't throw away that 20 years of experience -- it is valuable and can be used to help you get somewhere better. And what about the benefits (pension, health insurance, etc.) that you will probably lose by switching?
The ONLY way I would recommend someone in your position to go into nursing if if you had a burning desire to be a nurse -- and actually do the work of beginner-level nursing. I don't see that in your post.
As usual, llg's post is very well put.
However, as somebody who entered nursing after nearly 20 years in another professional field - and WITHOUT any burning desire - I can state first-hand that it can be a solid choice to move into a stable job with good pay and benefits. That said, it can also prove a terrible choice - and, like most fields, it all depends on the quality of the employer that you're able to catch on with. Two years ago, I would've said it was an awful decision that I'd made... now I count it as one of my best.
I just got my license to be an LPN. I am planning on taking a program to go the LPN to BSN route. I am male and just turned 60 in April. Although I got a bachelor's degree a while back it wasn't in nursing, but I know the college scene so to speak and I believe I can get another BS. Just so you know, even with my advanced education and degree, I didn't take a medical related class until I was in my mid fifties. I got all As and Bs in my prerequisite courses including A&P, microbiology, chem, algebra. Not saying all this to brag but rather to tell you that if a guy my age can to this so can a young pup in his 40s. No weekends, or extracurriculars for a while? Well, I don't think that there's any way around that - everything has a price, and believe me I've spent many fine Saturdays either in an algebra class that meets once a week or at a hospital doing clinicals on a 12 hour Saturday shift. I won't lie - did it suck? Yes, the time and hours did, but it eventually ended and here I am, a licensed nurse.
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brillohead, ADN, RN
1,781 Posts
I'm 44yo and just got my ADN in May and passed my boards as an RN in June.
I figure I've got AT LEAST another 20 years to be working, if not longer. It's not an easy job, but nursing will always be around. If you care about people and have a head for science-type stuff, healthcare is always an option.